The Best Summer
by MKaseyM
Summary: The summer of 1977 was a great summer in many ways. But mainly it was the beginning of a great relationship.
1. Chapter 1

It was the summer of 1977. The summer before my seventh year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was the summer when I realized I was in love.

* * *

My best friend Marlene and I climbed onto the Hogwarts Express at the end of our sixth year. It had been a truly lovely year and I was sad to see it go. I had begun my N.E.W.T. classes, gotten my ex-best friend Severus Snape out of my head, and made a few new friends.

Unlike many of my fellow students, I was not looking forward to the summer holidays this year. It meant having to spend time with my rubbish sister Petunia and her boorish fiancé. It meant being bored for hours on end and re-reading books I had read multiple times before. My family never went places during holiday. My summers were never any fun. But I was especially dreading this summer because my sister's wedding was set to take place at the beginning of August. And I was not looking forward to it.

Petunia didn't want me to be in her wedding. I knew this because she had told me as much last Christmas. But our mum told her she was being ridiculous and I was going to be in the wedding whether she liked it or not. This was unfortunate for me as well because I didn't want to be in the wedding either. I didn't even want to go to the wedding. That's how much I disliked my sister. But of course I couldn't tell Mum this. She would have gone ballistic, telling me I was being silly and of course I wanted to be in the wedding. Mum never understood why Petunia and I didn't like one another. Maybe this was because Petunia made sure Mum never heard her call me freak.

I was thinking about all of this as I sat in our compartment on the train ride home. Marlene had gone off to find her boyfriend Robbie, so I was alone. Or at least I was until the Marauders found me.

"Evans!" Sirius Black said, opening the compartment door. "What are you doing here sitting by yourself? Mind if we join you?"

Before I could answer he shouted down the hall, "Oi! Come on, you three," and sat down on my left.

The others came in, and they all sat on the bench across from me. I smiled good-naturedly at the four boys whom I had so recently come to call my friends. We sat, talked, joked, and, when the lunch trolley came round, ate. Marlene found us some two hours later just as Sirius and James Potter, the leaders of the group, were finishing their second game of Exploding Snap. Peter was watching in what I could only describe as awe, and Remus was reading a book and occasionally looking up to laugh at his mates.

The ride passed with ease, but I was more somber than usual as I was so focused on my thoughts. I didn't think anyone had noticed, but I was wrong.

As the train pulled into King's Cross, we got up to leave. Peter, Remus, and Sirius were the first to go seeing as they were closest to the door. I grabbed my trunk and turned to see James and Marlene waiting for me.

"Lily," James began. "Will you wait a moment?"

I knew something was up the moment he called me by my first name. He never did that. I was always "Evans." He had a serious expression on his face and a look of concern in his eyes. I turned to Marlene to see surprise and confusion etched onto her face. I had a feeling my expressions were probably reflecting hers at the moment. Trying to look calm, I said, "I'll meet you later, Marlene, yeah?"

She nodded and left, still looking confused.

I turned back to James.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked innocently. I knew then that he had noticed my lack of interest in the conversations during the ride.

"You haven't been your normal self today. You were awfully quiet and your smiles seemed forced."

"Oh," I said, giving up the charade. "Erm, I'm just not looking forward to this summer. Kinda sad to be leaving Hogwarts, you know?"

"Well, it's only two months," he stated, obviously trying to console me.

"Yeah," I said, even though his sentiment had done nothing to comfort me. He could tell. He could always tell.

"If it helps, you can come hang out with me and the blokes if you want. We're going to the beach in two weeks. You should come. It'll be a lot of fun!"

This, on the other hand, did cheer me up a little. It was something to look forward to at least. I smiled. "Yeah, sure. That sounds like fun. I'll keep in touch."

"Okay," he said, smiling. "I'll owl you sometime this week with the details."

"Okay." With that, we left the carriage, and I went to say goodbye to Marlene and find my parents. Maybe my summer wouldn't be so bad after all.


	2. Chapter 2

The first two weeks of summer passed uneventfully. I had gotten permission from my mum to go to the beach with the Marauders.

Seeing as how I had never been to this beach, I was going to meet James at the Leaky Cauldron at eleven, and he would then take me there by Side-Along Apparition.

It all went fine. I got there on time and noticed James was already there. He was sitting at the bar, talking to Tom, the barman. He was wearing a white t-shirt and blue swimming trunks. His hair was as unruly as ever, and there were sandals on his feet.

The moment I saw him, my stomach did a small flip. It was then, seeing him in that moment, that I realized how much I had missed him.

Wait. Missing James? Was that right? _Yes_, I thought. _Of course that's right. We're friends, now! It is completely normal for friends to miss each other after two weeks apart. _Or that's what I told myself, anyway. I tried desperately to hold myself together and not let myself think that my feelings for him were not just platonic.

Yes, that's right. I had been contemplating - or trying not to contemplate, rather - having feelings for James Potter. Two weeks without your best, most handsome friend can do that to a girl, I guess.

I walked over to him and tapped his shoulder. His face broke out in a lop-sided grin as he turned to look at me. Oh, how I had missed that grin. "Hey," he said, and he gave me a small hug. _Aaaah!_

"Hi," I smiled back, trying to contain my nerves.

He took in my yellow cover-up dress, flip-flops, braided red hair, and beach bag. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah!" I told him.

"Alright."

We stepped over to the designated Apparition place in the corner, and I stood awkwardly for a moment, eyeing him. Should I grab his hand? Should I take his arm? I had to come in contact with some part of him. I hadn't thought that through clearly until that very moment. James, very cool and collected as per usual, took my hand in his and began to turn.

The split-second it took for my mind to register the fact that he was touching me was enough for me to feel a shoot of something that could only be described as electricity in my hand. In fact, as my body squeezed into what seemed like a miniscule pipe, my hand in his was the only thing I could think about for a whole two seconds until I felt my feet land in soft, thick sand.

I opened my eyes and looked around. The ocean was in front of me, stretching out in a vast and beautiful unknown. The bluish-green waves were pounding against the tan sand. The sky was the prettiest of blues and there were large cumulonimbus clouds scattered here and there.

James let go of my hand - all to soon in my opinion - and began to walk down towards the ocean to our right. He gestured for me to follow, and I noticed the five people relaxing there.

I recognized Sirius, Remus, and Peter immediately and smiled as they turned to look at us. There was another man and woman with them who I didn't recognize, but before I could ask, I was being pulled into a bear hug from Sirius.

"Lily!" he shouted, a bit over-enthusiastic.

"Oomph." I stumbled back a bit before patting him awkwardly on the back and saying somewhat exasperatedly, "Hi, Sirius."

He let me go and gave me a grin. I turned to give a softer hug to Remus as Sirius walked back towards the others with James. We smiled as we broke apart. "How are you doing, Remus?"

"I'm all right," he answered with a small smile and shrug. "Full moon was two nights ago, so I'm feeling fine now."

"Good. So you'll be able to goof off today."

He laughed. "Yeah, I guess so." He looked out to the water where Sirius and Peter were already fooling around.

"Hey, Peter!" I called, waving.

"Hi, Lily!" he yelled back.

Remus gave me a parting smile then ran for the water.

I turned back to the mess of beach towels and three picnic baskets - yes, that's right. Count them. Three. I dropped my bag down to my feet and looked over at James who had removed his shirt and sandals. I tried hard not to stare at his sun-kissed skin as he began introducing me to the couple sitting on the ground.

"Lily, these are my parents," he said.

I looked down at them and put on my best smile. "Hi! It's nice to finally meet you!" I had seen James' parents on platform nine and three-quarters before but had never spoken to them.

Mr. and Mrs. Potter were a fairly old couple - in their late sixties, at least. Mr. Potter had graying hair, but it was curly and messy like his son's. He had brown eyes that were warm and inviting but at the same time a bit mischievous. He held a smile on his face as he put his hand out to greet me.

"And you, Lily. We've heard a lot about you." His eyes moved towards James, and we both blushed and averted our eyes as he said, "You didn't do her justice, son."

"Alex," Mrs. Potter admonished him quietly.

"What?" Her husband looked at her. "I can't embarrass my son in front of the girl he's fancied for three years?" He smirked. It reminded me of James' smirk.

"Wow!" James piped up. "Um, thanks, Dad. Why don't you go get in the water?"

Mr. Potter shrugged and got up, running to meet the waves.

James and Mrs. Potter sighed simultaneously after he had gone. The latter turned her kind, hazel eyes on me and said, "Hello, Lily. My name is Elaine. I'm sorry for my husband. He's a child." She smiled as she said this. In fact, she didn't stop smiling, even though it was small. It was as if her lips were naturally pulled up at the corners, as if the muscles in her face were completely relaxed. I couldn't help but smile back. This reminded me more of James than any smirk Mr. Potter made could've done.

"Yeah, just ignore him," James said with an eye roll. "Anyway, you coming, Lily?" He pointed towards the lot in the ocean with his thumb and smiled.

"Yeah, sure. I'll be there in a second."

I threw off my shoes and dress and, with a quick wave to Mrs. Potter, ran to the water.

We played around for a while, splashing and dunking one another. Sirius even grabbed me by the legs at one point and lifted me off my feet. He began to let go and threw me back into the water, making me scream.

After a little over an hour, Mrs. Potter called us all in to eat lunch. She had packed _many_ sandwiches, strawberries, bananas, chips, and crisps. There was also water and pumpkin juice.

We all ate our fair share and sat around talking about our holiday. I told James about Vernon, Petunia's fiancé, and how Petunia wouldn't shut up about him or the plans for their fast-approaching wedding. He told me about adventures with this mates and how they had gone to see a Muggle film last week.

I couldn't help but smile as I watched him tell me all about it - the way he used his hands to talk, even though he was holding a sandwich in one; the way he smiled and laughed as he related a joke; the way his eyes lit up when he mentioned something amusing. It was quite nice having an excuse for staring at him.

We stayed at the beach for another few hours until Mr. and Mrs. Potter said they had had their fill and began to walk up some stone steps towards a large manor.

"It looks like it might rain soon, kids, so don't stay out too long, alright?" Mrs. Potter called.

Once the couple had gone, I looked over at James. "Where are they going?"

"Home," he said as if it were obvious.

I looked back towards the manor, putting two and two together. "_That's_ your home?"

"Yeah," he shrugged.

_Of course,_ I thought. _Of course he ruddy lives in a mansion._

We stayed out for another ten minutes or so before it began to rain. It was only a light drizzle at first, but by the time we had gathered all our things and run up the steps and down the path to the Potters' home, it was a downpour. Luckily, we were already wet from playing in the ocean, so this didn't upset us much.

We came to the back of the manor and went through the French doors there. We were in a large room with beige walls and wooden floors. There were two brown couches and a large leather recliner. The walls and floor were covered with artwork, sculptures, and plants.

As soon as she heard the doors open, Mrs. Potter came from the left through a white door with towels in her arms. "Here. Use these to dry off some before stepping onto the carpet."

We each took a towel and began drying ourselves off. After they finished, Sirius, Remus, and Peter, ran towards the front doors across the room only to turn left and sprint up the stairs. James followed at a steadier pace. I, however, took my time crossing the room, looking at all of the decoration and taking everything in. Mrs. Potter obviously had great taste in furniture and décor.

"You coming, Lily?" James asked, bringing me back into reality. He was already at the foot of the stairs. "Come on. I want to show you something."

I followed him up the abnormally large staircase and down a hall to the left. The floors upstairs were carpeted an off-white color. The hall was long, and we passed many rooms. I could hear the lads hanging about in a room at the other end of the hallway.

We stopped just before two large wooden doors at the very end. I looked over at James, who was watching me with a smile on his face. "Lily," he said dramatically, putting his hand on the doors and pushing them up open, "I present to you… the library."

I felt my mouth drop as I took a tentative step into the enormous room. The walls were covered with thousands of books, and there were high windows that rose a full two stories. My eyes were wide, and I could see James grinning like a loon out of the corner of my eye, watching me. I smiled and looked up at him. "It's beautiful."

I spent the next few minutes looking through the bookshelves. I hadn't gotten very far and had recognized only two of the books when James spoke up. "You probably haven't heard of many of those. I think you'll like these of here." And he pointed across the room.

I followed him over and began looking through them, only to find that I recognized almost every single one. They were Muggle books. Robert Louis Stevenson, Mark Twain, Lewis Carroll, Charles Dickens, Charlotte Bronte, and Jane Austen. There were many more, including some poetry. I pulled out _Pride & Prejudice_, my favorite book, and held it gingerly. It was in pristine condition - like it had never been read before, which, come to think of it, was probably true. I knew there was no way I could ever read _all_ the books in that library.

"You can borrow that if you like," James offered.

I smiled and shook my head, "I already own this one." I put it back and pulled out another - _Emma_. "But I will take this one."

We walked back down the hall where I thought we would find Sirius, Remus, and Peter, but they weren't there. James kept walking to the end of the hall and turned left up a staircase. To the third floor. His house had three floors.

At the top of the stairs was a large room. It had many couches, trunks, and little things spread all over. James and I went to sit down next to the rest of the Marauders. We sat and chat for a couple more hours before it was time for me to go home.

I thanked Mr. and Mrs. Potter profusely for allowing me to spend the day at their home and said goodbye to the boys. James walked me out to his front porch where I would be Disapparating.

"I had a fantastic time today," I told him truthfully.

"Me too," he said with a smile, running his hand through his hair. "I'm glad you had fun."

"I did. And thanks for the book. I'll return it the next time I see you." I brought this up in hopes that he would offer to do something together soon, but he didn't catch the hint.

"Yeah, okay," he said, completely oblivious. "I'll see you."

"Okay. Bye." I gave him a parting wave as I Disapparated.

**A/N: Thank you to my readers and reviewers. You are lovely. This is my first fan fiction, so don't judge too harshly. I hope you liked it, and I'll try to update soon. This story won't be too long. Just a few chapters, but I have a couple of ideas so… we'll see how it turns out.**

**Anyway, please review if you'd like. Don't feel obligated, but I would appreciate it. ****J**

**-M**


	3. Chapter 3

I know. I get it. You hate me for taking so long on the update. Sorry. Get used to it. My number one priority is not writing fan fiction; it's reading fan fiction. Anyway, onwards…

Oh! Also, **James is in bold, **_Lily is in italics. _I'm sure that's not hard to figure out.

**Lily,**

**Hello. How are you? I know it's only been three days since we've seen each other, but I already miss you. It is extremely boring at my home. Remus and Peter have left and all Sirius does is eat and sleep. Occasionally, we play Quidditch and Exploding Snap and whatnot, but none of it is as enjoyable as the day when you came over.**

**I hope your summer is far less boring than mine.**

**- James**

_James,_

_I'm fine. Thank you for asking. I would ask how you are, but I have a feeling your answer would be "bored." Well, that makes two of us, then. I'm quite bored as well. I've had to endure a whole day of silly dress shopping with Petunia and her friends. It was torture. I brought along the book you leant me and pretended I didn't exist._

_Speaking of that book, I finished it this morning, so I should probably get it back to you soon. Maybe we could meet up at Diagon Alley or something?_

_Lily_

**Lily,**

**I'm sorry to hear that. I hope your job as "least important bridesmaid" gets fulfilled quickly, so you don't have to spend much more time with that snotty sister of yours.**

**Now, wait just one moment, Evans. What's this I read? You have already finished reading a 400-page book? It only took you ****three****days****? I'm quite impressed actually, even though this makes you an even bigger swot than I imagined. I wouldn't be surprised if you've already completed the summer homework. You need to get out of the house! Do something fun!**

**Speaking of fun, I would love to meet you at Diagon Alley, but my parents, Sirius, and I are going to France for three weeks. We leave tomorrow morning. But maybe we can meet up afterwards?**

**I'm sorry. I know you ****really**** wanted to see me, but it'll have to wait.**

**Maybe you could hang out with Marlene or Mary. I haven't heard from either of them all summer.**

**Anyway, have fun with Petunia.**

**- James x**

You can imagine my disappointment after receiving this last letter. Three weeks/ It had barely been three weeks since school let out for the summer, and he was expecting me to go _another_ three weeks being bored out of mind? The boy had lost it.

But, of course, there was nothing I could do about it, so I owled him back.

_James,_

_I appreciate the amount of sarcasm you used in your last letter. You know perfectly good and well my duties as "least important bridesmaid" will never be fulfilled; you know I have completed the summer homework and that I am most certainly not a swot; you know that I don't "__really__ want to see you" as you so kindly put it; and you know that I will be having no fun with Petunia._

_Anyway, have fun in France. Hopefully I'll see you when you get back. Tell Sirius I said hello._

_Lily x_

I owled Marlene soon after, and we made plans to meet up at Diagon Alley the next week after she got back from her trip to Australia.

After that, I just had to wait two weeks to see James again. _Merlin, Lily, how pathetic can you get? Can't go five minutes without thinking about the boy…_

_Okay, I apologize if there is any grammar, punctuation, etc. mistakes. I don't have a beta, so I'm doing my best._

_I know this chapter was supremely short, but I didn't have much to go on. I'll try harder next time…_

_Thank you to all who subscribed and favorited! Thanks to JessandDarcy for reviewing again._

_I'd really appreciate it if you left a review for me! It inspires motivation. Truly, it does. Thanks!_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I've been forgetting to do this but disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and all that jazz. If I did, there would be many more than seven books, and I would probably not be writing this. Also, thanks to you lot for subscribing and favouriting and all that. It means a lot.**

* * *

Three weeks later, I was sitting in my room listening to a Muggle album when an owl flew in my window.

**Lily,**

**I'm coming back into town tomorrow. Sirius and I are going to meet Remus and Peter on Saturday at Florean Fortescue's around one. Would you like to join us? You can invite Marlene if you'd like. I know Sirius has been dying to see her.**

**Hope to see you soon!**

**- James**

**P.S. Sirius is yelling and threatening me, so I am obligated to tell you he has no desire whatsoever to see McKinnon, but you and I both know how untrue this is. Haha.**

I laughed. Sirius and Marlene had been flirting with each other for months. Everyone called it "skinny love."

I looked around my room for a quill and parchment to send my answer when I heard a second owl land on my window sill.

_**My Lovely Lily,**_

_**I **__**need**__** to hang out with you again! It's been too long! I miss you! When are you free? Maybe we can go to Diagon Alley again. I had a lot of fun last time.**_

_**You better stop whatever you're doing right now and answer me! I am in desperate need of communication with my Lovely Lily!**_

_**Signed your absolute best friend in the entire universe who really wants to see you,**_

_**Marlene xx**_

_**P.S. Maybe we could invite the Marauders this time. I haven't seen them all summer, unlike you lucky girl. Haha. Just kidding. I know you probably consider yourself less-than-lucky. You acted as though you had a bad time when you went to the beach with them last we talked. Anyway, stop reading this and ANSWER!**_

I decided to reply to Marlene first. She seemed more desperate to talk than James did.

_My Maniac Marlene,_

_You and Potter must be on the same wave-length these days because he sent me a letter just before you did asking almost the same thing._

_Let's meet at Florean Fortescue's on Saturday. A few minutes before one should do it._

_With love,_

_Lily x_

_P.S. "Maybe we could invite the Marauders this time"? Leave it, Marlene. I know you just want to see Sirius, and you're using that line (and me, for that matter!) as an excuse._

_P.S.S. I did not have a bad time at the beach. It was the most fun I've had all summer, including the day I hung out with you! So there, Marley! I'll tell you all about it on Saturday._

I sent off the reply then sat back down to answer James.

_James,_

_You'll never guess what just happened. Almost the very moment I got done reading your letter, I received an owl from Marlene asking if I wanted to meet up with her soon. She also said something about inviting you lot which we all know was just a ploy to see Sirius and for which I teased her about immensely._

_But anyway, Saturday at one it is! We'll see you there!_

_Lily_

* * *

I've always been the punctual sort. I usually try to be at places at least five minutes early, and, knowing the people I was meeting today, they would probably be at least five minutes late. As suspected, I showed up at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour at 12:50. There were a few people around, so I went ahead and pushed two tables together and sat down.

After only a minute or two, James Potter walked in. This surprised me because he was never punctual, much less _early_, and he wasn't with Sirius as I had expected. He saw me immediately and took the seat across from me.

"Hi," he grinned. (My stomach _may_ have flipped at the sight….)

"Hey," I said, trying not to look _too_ excited to see him. Instead, I smiled politely and asked, "Where's Sirius?"

"Got distracted by a bird," he answered, rolling his eyes. "I expect he'll be along in a few minutes."

I nodded. "Would you like to order now or wait 'til they all turn up?"

"The line isn't too long. Let's do it now."

We walked up to the counter and stood behind a tired-looking mother and her three young sons.

One of the boys was crying because both his brothers had gotten a toy, and he hadn't. The mother was trying to comfort the screaming youngster in her arms, but stopped to look down at the boy. "Please hush, honey. I'll get you a toy right after we get some ice cream." She looked exhausted.

James pulled out his wand and squatted to be on eye level with the middle boy. "What's your name?" he asked.

"A-Andrew," the little boy said, trying to cease his sobs.

"I'm Tommy," the older boy interjected. He couldn't have been but seven years old, and Andrew may have been five at the most.

"Do you mind if I see your toy for a moment, Tommy?" James asked.

Tommy handed him the toy a bit reluctantly. James muttered a spell and duplicated the toy. He handed the original back to Tommy and gave the new one to Andrew. "There you go," he said smiling at him.

Andrew smiled back. "Thank you," he said quietly.

James ruffled his hair and stood back up, putting his wand away. I smiled. There was nothing more attractive to me than a boy who was great with kids.

Tommy and Andrew's mother turned to look at us. "Thank you," she said, giving James a kind smile.

James nodded at her then turned to look at me as if none of that had happened. "So how were your three weeks without me?" he asked with a small smile and a twinkle in his eyes.

I could tell he was teasing me, but I said, "They weren't that great, actually. Quite boring. Never did anything fun."

"I'm sorry to hear it." He didn't look sorry.

I stuck my tongue out at him then asked, "So how was France?"

"Oh, it was great!" he exclaimed. "We got to see both Wizard and Muggle Paris! It was beautiful. Hardly a dull moment, to be honest."

I smiled. "I've always wanted to go to Paris."

James looked at me sharply. "You've never been to Paris?"

I shook my head sadly. "I've never even been out of the country unless you count going to Hogwarts."

"Really? Wow," he said. After a moment, he continued, "I think you'd like Paris."

"I think I would, too," I said.

James turned to the man behind the counter, Mr. Fortescue, since it was our turn to order. "One strawberry cone and one chocolate, please."

I looked at James, surprised. "How did you know what I wanted?"

He looked at me as if I had just asked what two plus two was. "Lily, whenever there's anything strawberry-flavoured for dessert at Hogwarts, you always eat at least three helpings of it."

I opened my mouth to protest before I thought about it and realised he was right. I made a face as if to say "Touché."

James reached out for the ice cream cones, handed me the pink-coloured one, and paid Mr. Fortescue.

We sat back down at our makeshift table.

"So," James began, "speaking of books –"

"We weren't speaking of books," I interrupted.

He ignored this. "- where's the book I leant you?"

I paused. I had completely forgotten to bring the book, and, no, this was not just a scapegoat to see James again. I had truly forgotten. I pursed my lips. "I kind of forgot it. Sorry."

He waved this off. "No worries. You know where I live. Just apparate over any time. I'll be home every day now until September first."

"Right. I'll just come over –"

"LILY!" I was interrupted by the obnoxious sound of Sirius Black's voice.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Hey, Siri – oomph." I was again cut off as Sirius leaned down to give me a bear hug for the second time that summer.

"I missed you so much!" he cried.

I looked at James over Sirius' shoulder to see his small smile. After a moment of Sirius hugging me and doting over me, James said, "That's enough, Padfoot. Give the girl a breather." I couldn't help feeling a bit satisfied at his perturbed expression. He was jealous because I didn't give him a hug.

I smiled as Sirius released me and went to sit next to James. As soon as he took his seat, he asked me, "Where's Marlene?"

"She should be here any moment," I answered with a knowing smile. I glanced at James who was shaking his head.

"What happened to that bird you stopped to talk to?"

"Oh, she had a boyfriend," Sirius said, waving a hand as if to say "No big deal."

James nodded.

The bell rang as the door opened once more to reveal Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew entering the shop. They came over to our table.

I smiled at them as they said hello and sat down. "And how are the two of you?" I asked.

Remus smiled. "Good," he answered.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Peter threw in. "A little down lately, but nothing a good ice cream can't fix. What do you guys want?" He began to take Remus' and Sirius' orders when Marlene walked in.

She sat down on my right across from Sirius, hugged me, then said, "Hey, everyone."

They all greeted her, and Peter asked what kind of ice cream she wanted.

"Butterscotch," she told him. "Thanks, Pete."

As Peter left, Marlene turned to the remaining Marauders to ask how their summer had been.

The six of us chatted for about an hour, licking our ice creams and enjoying the conversation. It seemed as though all Sirius and Marlene did was flirt with each other as the rest of us tried to hold _proper_ conversations. It was all good fun, and we laughed and had a brill time.

As per usual, James and Sirius were the center of attention. They both told jokes and stories about their trip to France, which made me very jealous.

Peter told us about spending time with his cousins in Wales who were Muggles. He was sitting on James' right, and as he was talking, I couldn't stop my eyes from drifting towards the handsome boy sitting across from me.

The way his eyes lit up at the mention of anything Muggle-related; the way he smiled good-naturedly at his friend; the way his eyes lit up when he laughed; the way he grinned that made my heart melt. I thought back on previous years, on how he was so arrogant and conceited, so mean, how he never took my feelings into account. All until last year, that is. Sixth year marked a turning point. I had noticed the change in him. That's why we had become friends. But I could never pinpoint what exactly was different or how he had changed. Never, until that moment.

James had stopped trying to impress me. He had stopped trying to chase me. He had learned the way to my heart. He had learned that becoming friends and dropping the attitude he had once held was the way to my heart. He had made me fall in love with him by becoming my best friend.

As I was watching him, I could feel myself falling in love. It was so big of a feeling that I thought for sure my friends would pick up on it, but they didn't. I tried to look away from James and get my heart rate and breathing to slow and wipe the ridiculous grin off my face. I failed miserably.

But despite my realizations, conversation died down, and Peter announced that he needed to stop by Gringotts while he was in town. Remus offered to go with him. We told them to meet us at Flourish & Blotts in half an hour. They agreed and exited the parlour.

James, Sirius, Marlene, and I headed to the book shop. We walked into Flourish & Blotts grateful for the cool air inside. Marlene and Sirius took off down an aisle of the children's section while I wandered around the shop waiting for a book to catch my eye. Much to my delight, James stayed at my side the whole time.

We didn't say much, just grateful to be in each other's company. The silence wasn't awkward. It was nice. Once, I even caught him looking at me out of the corner of my eye. When I turned to face him, he averted his gaze quickly and blushed. I too looked away but slower and smiled, trying to stifle a small giggle. James Potter blushing? That was a new one.

Soon afterwards, the other joined us. We walked around Diagon Alley a bit more before it was time to go. We said our goodbyes and James once again invited me to drop in at any time. I told him I would and left with Marlene.

We went back to my house where Mum was cooking supper.

"Hey, Mum! I'm home," I called. "Oh, and Marlene's here too!"

"Hi girls!" she answered. "Dinner will be ready in an hour. Will you be staying to eat with us, Marley?"

"Yes, if that's all right with you," Marlene answered.

My mum nodded, and we ran up the stairs and into my room. Marlene shut the door and sat down next to me on the bed.

"Okay, spill," she said.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" When I continued to look confused, she elaborated. "Lily, you couldn't take your eyes off James today. And don't try to act like it isn't true! I saw you watching him. Now tell me what's going on."

I sighed. It was just no use keeping something from Marlene. She was just too observant. Not that I wanted to keep anything from her, so I took a deep breath and began. "Okay… so… I kind of fancy James… Well, actually that's quite an understatement. I think I may be in love with him. No. I _am_ in love with him. For the past few months, he's just been so good to me. He's really sweet now and kind, and he's my best friend – apart from you, of course," I added hastily.

Marlene smiled. "Oh, boy. You have it bad!"

"I know!" I whined. "The problem is I just don't know if he fancies me anymore. Lately… I don't know… Sometimes I think he does, but then others… I just don't know. I'm not sure if he likes me that way anymore, or if we're just friends. D'you know what I mean?"

Marlene smiled kindly and shook her head. She slowly shut her eyelids and opened them once more. "Oh, Lily," she said. "Of course James still fancies you! I mean, the bloke couldn't take his eyes off you in Flourish & Blotts! You should know better than to think James would ever get over you!" she finished kindly.

I smiled and bit my lip. "I hope you're right." I then proceeded to tell her all about our day at the beach and how he invited me to drop by soon.

"You'll go on Wednesday," she said as soon as I finished.

"What?"

"You'll go to the Potter's on Wednesday. That's just long enough to make him suffer and just short enough to let him know you haven't forgotten him."

"Wednesday it is, then."

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Not sure why it took me so long to put it up. Also, not sure if I did the whole realization thing justice, so let me know what you think! Please? I'd be very grateful! And besides, this story has gotten 402 views and i have 3 reviews. Two of which are from the same person. I know. Reviewing is a painful process. I get it. Really, I do. But even a quick "Hi. I like your story." or "Not crazy about this part." would do me a lot of good!**

**-M**


	5. Chapter 5

The following Monday, I was awakened by an owl tapping at my window. I recognized it as my Hogwarts letter as soon as I untied it from the bird's leg. It felt heavier than usual, but my subconscious just assumed that was because it was seventh year. Maybe there was a lot more they needed to say in a seventh year's letters. When I opened the seal and pulled out the papers, something bulky dropped onto the floor. I kneeled down and looked under my desk to find it. As I pulled it out, I realized it was a badge. And it said "Head Girl."

I gasped, then screamed.

My mother banged on the door. "Lily? What's wrong!"

I opened the door to find her standing in her bathrobe and slippers. "I got Head Girl!" I told her.

"Oh, Lily! I'm so proud of you! Congratulations!" She hugged me.

"Thanks," I responded. She let go of me and left the room.

Head Girl! I was Head Girl! I was so excited! I had wanted this, but I wasn't sure if I would get it. There was a very intelligent girl in Ravenclaw who had definitely given me a run for my money. I wondered who the Head Boy would be, and my mind raced through all the things being Head Girl would entail. Doing patrols, setting Hogsmeade dates, docking points, giving detentions, being in charge. I couldn't wait to go back to Hogwarts now!

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On Wednesday, I told my mum I was apparating to James' house where I would most likely be spending a couple hours. Hey, a girl can hope, can't she? I made sure to grab the Jane Austen book he had leant me and left.

I showed up just outside the front gate. I walked to the door and knocked loudly. A moment later, a house elf opened the door.

"Hi," I said. "My name's Lily Evans. I'm here to see James."

"Lily," I heard a voice call. I peered around the door frame to see Sirius walking towards me from the dining room. He stepped around the house elf and took me in a soft hug. This surprised me because Sirius was usually enthusiastic about seeing me. I leaned back and looked at him. His eyes were red-rimmed, and he had a tired smile on his face. It looked like he had been crying.

"Sirius, what is it?" I asked, worriedly.

He hesitated before answering. "Mr. Potter… was killed yesterday by Voldemort himself on an Auror mission."

My face fell and my mouth widened. I reached out for Sirius again, this time gripping in a soothing manner. "Oh, Sirius, I'm so sorry."

We stood there for a moment before he pulled away. He looked down at his feet, and I could tell he was trying to keep from crying.

"I'll just go," I said, turning to walk away.

"No!" He reached out and grabbed my arm. "No, please come in. They'll want to see you."

I nodded and entered. "Where are they?"

"Mrs. Potter's in her room," he said. "James is through here." He pointed to the left towards a closed door that I hadn't noticed before. "Stay here."

I watched as Sirius walked towards this new room and opened the door. The sound of a piano drifted through to my ears. Whoever was playing was very good. It was a beautiful noise.

"James," Sirius said lightly. The music stopped. "Lily's here."

I heard footsteps and a moment later, James appeared in the doorway. He looked tired but not as though he had been crying. I ran to him and wrapped my arms around his waist as tightly as I could. He responded immediately and buried his face in my neck. I was only a few inches shorter than him, so this was easily done. I rubbed his back and watched as Sirius left us alone. My heart broke when I felt James beginning to sob. I tried my hardest to keep the tears from flowing, knowing how much it hurt him. I whispered comforting things to him and waited patiently for his sobbing to cease. After a long while, it finally did.

When we pulled apart, James immediately took off his glasses and used his sleeve to wipe his face. I watched with sad eyes. He was broken. I could tell. And it physically hurt me to see him that way. After a moment of silence, I walked back over to the end table I had sat _Emma_ down on before I hugged him. I picked it up and looked back at him.

"I brought the book back," I said quietly.

He chuckled appreciatively and gave a small smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. I handed the book to him.

"If there's anything you need," I told him, "anything at all, please just let me know."

He nodded. I gave him another quick hug and a peck on the cheek as I turned to leave.

"Lily," he called after me. I turned back to look at him. "Thank you."

I nodded and walked back down the path to apparate. I didn't go home. Instead, I went to the park I used to go to down the lane. I sat there for an hour or so, just thinking. Thinking about Voldemort and his evil ways, wondering how on earth he could kill a human being. I thought about Mr. Potter and James and Mrs. Potter and Sirius. I thought about how they had been so happy just a month ago and now would never feel that same happiness again.

I also thought about my own dad. He had died when I was thirteen. It had been a car accident. I had never told anyone at Hogwarts apart from Marlene. But I knew I needed to tell James. He would need someone who knew how he felt. He needed what I hadn't had when my father died: a rock, someone who understood and could tell him how to get through it, someone he could lean on.

As I was walking home, I felt a bird land on shoulder. I stopped and unwrapped the letter from its leg. It was from James.

**Lily,**

**I forgot to tell you, but the funeral is on Friday. I'd appreciate it if you would come.**

**- James**

When I got home, I wrote him back telling him I'd be there.

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**A/N: Oh wow. Look at that! Two chapters in one night! It must be your lucky day! Anyway, sorry for the angst and sadness. I don't really like this chapter. It wasn't supposed to go like this, but I couldn't fit my other ideas in. Things will perk back up, but not for another chapter or two. Don't forget to review!**

**-M**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Another angst-y chapter. Sorry about that. Please enjoy, and don't forget to review!**

**Disclaimer: Not J.K. Rowling.**

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That Friday morning, I pulled on my black dress and heels and left for Potter Manor where the funeral would be. The visitation started at ten, so I left a few minutes after that. The funeral didn't start until eleven, after all.

I apparated to the front of the large house, and walked up the garden pathway behind another couple dressed also in black. Mrs. Potter was standing just inside the open door to greet her guests. When she got to me, she gave me a large hug and said, "Welcome, Lily. I'm so glad you could come."

"It's good to see you, Mrs. Potter," I told her. She smiled lightly at me.

"And you, dear."

I looked around for a moment before turning back to her. "Where are the boys?" I asked.

"They were in the ballroom, last I saw," she answered solemnly.

I nodded and turned in that direction.

"Lily!" I halted and looked back at her. "When you see James, will you kindly remind him that this is _his_ father's funeral, and he better start acting like it?" She had a dangerous look in her eye, so I nodded and walked into the ballroom.

The room was large and beautiful. The floor was a gorgeous wooden design, and the walls reached at least two stories. There were many people in there talking quietly and looking sad, but I spotted Sirius standing a bit farther down against the wall. I walked over to him and greeted him.

"Hello, Sirius."

"Hi, Lily," he said with an attempt at a smile.

I put my arms around his neck and gave him a warm hug. When I pulled back, I kept one hand on his face and asked, "How are you holding up?"

He looked around for a moment before meeting my eyes once more. "Better than James," he finally answered. I took my hand down as my shoulders sank. I had been expecting that, but was hoping against it.

"Where is he?" I asked.

"In his room," he told me. "He's being such a prat."

I nodded a bit. "I'll go talk to him, shall I?"

He nodded back. "First door on the right."

I went back into the entrance hall and walked up the stairs. I turned to the right and stopped in front of the first door. I knocked softly.

"WHAT?" I heard James angrily call.

Again, I had been expecting this reaction. I had had a feeling this would be his way of coping – being angry at the world.

"James, it's me," I answered in a normal tone.

He walked to the door and opened it to let me in. I closed it behind me as he went to sit back down on his bed.

I looked around. The walls of his room were painted red, and there was gold trimming. A magnificent lion had been drawn onto the wall. There were Quidditch posters covering almost every inch of the rest of it. A twin bed sat in the far corner.

James was wearing black suit pants and a white shirt. His black tie was hanging limply from his neck, and his jacket had been thrown on the bed next to wear he sat. His glasses were crooked, and his hair was a mess. He looked completely normal until his eyes met mine, and I could see the remnants of tears. His hazel eyes looked lost and alone and could only hold my gaze for a moment. He quickly looked away.

I licked my lips and began. "How are you?"

James shut his eyes and gritted his teeth. He tilted his head to the side and clenched his fists. After just a second, he spoke – or yelled, more like. "How do you THINK I am, Lily? My dad's DEAD!"

I realized my mistake, and looked at the floor. I should've known that wasn't the right thing to say. After all, I had always hated it when people asked me that same question after my father died.

His voice quieted but didn't soften much. "Oh, Lily, I'm sorry. I didn't mean… I know you're just trying to help."

I looked up at him. He had risen from the bed and taken a couple steps towards me. His eyes were hard this time but still a little lost. His forehead wrinkled, and he looked back down at the floor.

"It's okay," I told him. "Really, it is. I underst – "

"NO YOU DON'T!" he burst. His entire face scrunched up, and he covered his face with his hand for a moment before putting it back down. He clenched his teeth again and said, "Ugh! I am _sick_ and _tired_ of people telling me they _understand_! They tell me they do, but they don't! No one knows how I feel! _You_ don't know how I feel!"

I stared at him for a moment, eyes wide, mouth slightly parted. I looked to the side and huffed. I gave an exasperated smile at the irony of that statement.

How dare he yell at me like that! I understand that he didn't know about my dad, but he had no right to get angry with _me_. I thought I was different. I thought he I was special. Marlene said he still fancied me, but the look in his face when he told me I didn't know how he felt told me otherwise. He didn't fancy me. We were just friends. And not very good ones, at that. We had only been friends a few months, and there was no way I was special to him. I felt my heart sink before turning back to him and taking my full height. I looked him in the eye. There was no trace of a smile on my face now. I hoped I looked as angry as I felt.

"Wow," I said bitterly. "You know… you should really get to know a person before you start accusing them of not understanding."

I was quite satisfied when I saw him shrink just a little. He looked at me confusedly before I turned to the door which was only a step behind me and put my hand on the doorknob. I hesitated before opening it. Without looking at him, I said, "By the way, your mum told me to remind you that this is _your_ father's funeral, and – "

Before I could get the rest of my statement out, he interjected yet again. "I KNOW THAT! YOU DON'T THINK – "

This time, I interrupted. I was tired of getting yelled at for no reason. "HEY!" I shouted, turning to look at him. I could feel my eyes burning and my throat closing up. He looked slightly taken aback by my outburst, and I lowered my voice and continued. "They were her words, not mine."

I blinked back my tears and pursed my lips in anger. He could see the sadness written all over me, so his face softened significantly and he took a step forward with one hand out like he wanted to wrap his arms around me. He tried to speak, "Lily," but I raised my hand to stop him. He came to halt immediately.

"Don't," I started. "Leave me alone, Potter." My anger and frustration finally got the better of me, and I shed a tear. I saw his eyes widen, but before I could see any more, I turned again to the door and opened it.

As I stepped out and shut the door behind me, I ran into someone. I looked up. It was Sirius. He had been eavesdropping. He saw the tear on my face and looked at me sadly. Before I could say anything, he grabbed my arm and led me quickly down the hall and into the library. We sat down on a plush sofa in front of a lit fireplace where he firmly took me in an encompassing hug. I allowed myself to cry on his shoulder for all I was worth.

After a long while, my sobbing ceased and I pulled away. He looked at me sadly, and I turned towards the fire. We sat in silence again for a moment before Sirius decided to speak.

"What did you mean," he said, "about getting to know a person before you start accusing them of not understanding?"

I turned towards him to see him looking at me with confusion and curiosity. I sighed and figured I might as well tell him. I looked down at the floor and said quietly, "My father died when I was thirteen."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his eyes widen a bit and his lips part slightly. He bent his head towards me to catch my eye, so I looked at him. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

"I only ever told Marlene. And when I did, she couldn't look me in the eye for weeks. When she finally did, it was only to spare me a pitying glance. I didn't want that from everyone else, so I kept it to myself."

He paused for a moment before commenting, "You should tell James."

"No," I said immediately, turning away from him again.

"Why not?" he asked.

"I don't want to talk to James Potter ever again."

He looked at me with an amused smile. "Oh, come on, Lily," he said. "I know you don't want that. That's not going to happen."

I turned back to him. "Oh yeah?" I said, crossing my arms. "And what makes you say that?"

"For one thing…" he hesitated. "Well, I promised I wouldn't say anything. He wants to tell you, but you'll know soon enough. For another, I know you care for James, Lily. I don't know how much, and I don't know in what way, but I do know you care for him." He paused again and his smile was gone when he asked, "Do you fancy him?"

I uncrossed my arms and sighed. "Yes," I told him. But I quickly added, pointing a finger at him, "Don't you dare tell him!"

He smiled. "Wouldn't dream of it."

I looked back at the fire and hesitated, wondering if I should tell him. After a moment's internal debate, I did. "Actually, Sirius… I think I'm in love with him to be honest."

When he didn't say anything, I looked back up at him. He was trying to contain his excitement. His hands were clenched, he was trying to keep from smiling too widely, and his eyes were bright. I smiled at him in amusement. He took this as a good sign and said, "Then you should tell him about your dad."

The smile left my face immediately. "No," I told him.

"Why not?"

"Because!" I said exasperatedly. "When he yelled at me… Sirius, the way he looked at me… it was a look that said I was nothing special."

He smiled sadly at me. "Oh, Lily," he said, "you're so naïve. Of course you're special! James still fancies you! He will never stop fancying you! You are the only girl he has ever loved and will ever love. I promise."

I looked at him curiously. "You know, you and Marlene keep saying that, but I have yet to see solid evidence for it."

"Trust me, Lily. I know what I'm talking about… Will you please tell him about your dad?"

"No," I said without hesitation.

"Fine. Do you mind if I do?"

"I don't care. As long as I never have to speak to him again." Sirius' opened his mouth like he was going to protest, but it was interrupted by the library doors opening.

We both turned to see James standing there with a blank look. "It's time to go downstairs," he said, not really looking at us.

Sirius and I turned back to look at each other before getting up. As we walked towards the door, I could feel James' eyes on my face, but I kept my eyes trained firmly on the back of Sirius' head.

We walked down the stairs in silence. At the bottom, Mrs. Potter was waiting for us. She looked sharply at the boys before smiling at me. I smiled back, and we followed her to the back yard where the funeral would be held.

I sat down quietly next to Sirius and a lady I didn't recognize as the service began. I don't remember much about it except that Sirius was balling whereas James didn't cry once. This worried me a bit because I knew he was trying to keep it all in. I had done the same thing at first, and all it created was more heartache. _Sirius was right_, I realized. _I won't be able to stay mad at him forever._

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**A/N: Thanks for reading. I hope you liked it! (I didn't proofread it this time, so sorry if it doesn't make sense.)**

**Special thanks to those of you who reviewed. And I give my love to those of you who have subscribed to my story. You guys are awesome. And don't worry. I won't stop writing unless I stop having ideas (which by the way, you guys can PM me or review any time with ideas for this story!) Also, there's no telling when my next update will be because this is as far as I've gotten in my thought process. I'll try not to take forever.**

**Please review! I would greatly appreciate it!**

**-M**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello again! As per usual, I am not J.K. Rowling. But I do wish you happy reading. Thank you for stumbling across my story!**

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After Mr. Potter's funeral, I informed Sirius, James, and Mrs. Potter that I would be in Diagon Alley on Monday to buy my new school books. It was decided that they would meet up with me there.

I wasn't looking forward to going because I was unsure of what to expect. I didn't know if Sirius had told James about my father, and I didn't know if James would be in the mood to talk – which we definitely needed to do. All in all, I was quite nervous.

When I arrived at the alley, I noticed how few people there were. The Leaky Cauldron was empty apart from the barman Tom, and hardly anyone was out in the streets. This was probably because it was a Monday morning at the end of July. The reason there were no Hogwarts students – apart from me and soon Sirius and James – was because no one wanted to start thinking of school yet. The summer had flown by, and now there was only a month left.

I didn't have to wait very long before the Potters and Sirius showed up.

I gave Sirius and Mrs. Potter a hug and noticed that James wasn't looking at me so I spoke up, "Hi, James."

"Hi," he said politely, briefly glancing up. I was confused for a moment and turned to see Sirius. He looked exasperated before he quickly shot Mrs. Potter a significant look that I didn't understand.

She interrupted the awkward silence by saying, "Well, I don't know what you kids want to do, but I have to go by Madam Malkin's to buy the two of you some new school robes – you've grown about four inches each this summer. And since you're the same size, I only need one of you to come with me."

"I'll do it," Sirius spoke up excitedly. "Come on, let's go. You two crazy kids have fun!"

I scoffed to myself as I realized what they were up to. I watched them walk away before turning back to James. He ran a hand through his hair and said nervously, "Can we talk for a second?"

I nodded reluctantly, and we sat down on a nearby bench. I began to panic when he didn't say anything. I had no idea what he was going to say or what he would want me to say. A thousand different scenarios ran through my mind, the worst of which ended with him telling me he hated me and never wanted to see me again.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched him take a deep breath. "I wanted to apologize," he said slowly, "for yelling at you on Friday." I turned to look at him in surprise. He was just going to apologize? Then what the heck did I do all that worrying for? And why couldn't he have just said that in the first place without giving me a panic attack? "I'm really sorry," he continued, "and it was out of line."

Here, I decided to interject, but before I could do more than open my mouth to protest, James stopped me. "No, don't interrupt," he said. "I shouldn't have gotten mad at you. I was angry, and you just happened to be there... Also, I shouldn't have said what I did about you not understanding."

I tried to interrupt again. After all, he hadn't known about my father. It was entirely my fault he had said that. But he stopped me again. "No, please let me finish. I had no right to say that. And I know now that you do understand. And I hope you can forgive me," he finished quietly.

I sighed peacefully, "Of course I forgive you, James. And you telling me that I didn't understand wasn't your fault; it was mine. I could have told you about my dad a long time ago but I didn't. And there was no reason for me to get upset at you for that. I'm sorry."

James nodded thoughtfully and a brief silence ensued before he spoke up again. "I understand why you didn't tell me, by the way. Sirius explained it to me… So how did it happen?" he asked tentatively. "With your dad, I mean."

"Car crash. You know, those Muggle inventions?"

"Yeah… Wow. When?"

"Third year. Second week back to school."

"Second week?" he asked incredulously. "Wasn't that the week we played that prank on you with the chicken feathers and maple syrup?"

"Yeah…" I said slowly and with significance.

James gaped. "I am _so_ sorry," he said sincerely. "No wonder you were so upset! I thought maybe we'd just crossed the line with that when you started yelling and all."

"No," I said seriously. "That was actually a really great prank. Maybe if it had been done to someone other than me and hadn't been done the very morning I found out my father had died, I would've laughed." I smiled. "I can laugh about it now, though."

"Good." He smiled back. "I apologize for it nonetheless."

"Thank you. Apology accepted." I hesitated for a moment before speaking again. And when I did, I spoke slowly and with deliberateness. "James, I just wanted to let you know that if you ever need to talk to someone, I'm all ears... I know what you're going through; I went through it too. I can help you. So don't bottle it all up inside. I give you permission to let it out whenever you need to."

He looked at me again and smiled. "Thanks… You know something? You're a really great friend."

I smiled bitterly at this. _Yep. That's me. James' great friend._ Just_ his friend_.

Obviously, he didn't notice this for he soon continued, "So what are your plans for the rest of the summer?"

I gladly accepted this new conversation and said, "Well, Petunia's getting married on Saturday. Other than that, nothing." All the awkwardness of the last few minutes was gone now.

"Are you looking forward to that as much as you were a few weeks ago?" he asked with a smile.

"Oh, most definitely!" I said sarcastically. We both laughed. "By the way, I wanted to talk to you about that. I'm meant to bring a date. Would you like to come?" I had been debating asking him this for a couple of weeks, and this seemed like the best time of any.

James' eyes and smile widened. "Well this is a turn of events! Is Lily Evans asking me on a date?"

"Shut up!" I shoved his arm playfully.

He laughed and said, "Sure. I'll come. Should I wear robes to spite your sister?"

"Oh, wouldn't be that wonderful?" I said dreamily. "No, I'm sure she would freak out and Mum would get mad that I brought someone who couldn't dress properly! She'd never like you after that!"

"Well, we can't have your mum not liking me!" he said seriously. "I best wear Muggle clothing."

I smiled. "Great. I'll pick you up at ten on Saturday."

He smiled back quite genuinely. "Fine. It's a date.

I rolled my eyes and smiled but didn't deny it. I'm sure he noticed, but he didn't say anything about it. Instead, he suggested we go into Flourish & Blotts to buy our new books.

After our conversation, things went rather well. It was as if Friday hadn't even happened. We joked and laughed the whole time we were there. When we caught back up with Mrs. Potter and Sirius, I noticed their delighted smiles at our banter and significant looks with one another. This had obviously been the desired outcome.

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**A/N: I stink at endings, don't I? Ah well… what can you do? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Huzzah! The angst is gone (at least for now).**

**I, yet again, do not feel like proofreading. Maybe one day I'll go back and edit but for now I'm sorry for the mistakes and craziness.**

**Please review! You know, it's amazing that I can get 1,000 views but only, like, six or seven people will tell me what they think about it. Maybe that means you should all review. I would love for my inbox to be flooded when I wake up in the morning.**

**- M**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Okay, I am so so sorry I haven't updated in a while. My excuses are lack of internet connection, writer's block, and school starting. I don't know when I'll update next, but you guys have been so good to me. I love you all!**

**A few things I wanted to say: thanks to those who reviewed and favorited/followed! I won't quit writing as long as I have ideas. I actually have an idea for another story which may or may not be happening when this one gets finished, so feel free to add me to your author alert. Also, one of you lovely reviewers brought to my attention that Marlene had a boyfriend in a previous chapter called Robbie. I have decided to pretend that he doesn't exist. If you go back and look, he is no longer there. I believe that's all I have to say. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling probably isn't on Tumblr. But I am! Makalaonlife . tumblr . com**

I woke early Saturday morning with a feeling of dread. It was the day of my sister's wedding; the day I had been dreading all summer. _Ah well,_ I thought. _At least James will be there with me._

I got out of bed and got dressed. I pulled on the blue dress Petunia was making the bridesmaids wear. It was almost navy and was completely straight. There was no waist-line and it went to my knees. It had long puffy sleeves that clasped at my wrists. This was an unfortunate choice because most of Petunia's bridesmaids were a little on the husky side, and the dress certainly didn't flatter them. I curled my hair, pulled it half-up, and put on a minimal amount of make-up. I slipped into my silver flats and went downstairs.

Mum was rushing about trying to get all the bridesmaids ready. Petunia had requested they all get dressed at our house. After about an hour, Petunia and her friends were all ready. Petunia's dress was ugly, for lack of a better word. It was off-white and was made of a flowing, puffy material. The sleeves were similar to the ones on my own dress. The neckline was so high; it reached her chin – which was saying something because Petunia's neck is very long. Her bouquet was made of ranunculuses which signify radiance apparently. I supposed this was meant to be ironic because Petunia most definitely did not look radiant. Far from it, in fact. She looked quite bored.

All of the wedding party left in cars for the church as I disapparated to James' house. When I knocked on the door, it opened to reveal James standing there in his shirt and trousers. He looked very handsome, and I happily noticed he hadn't tried to do anything to his hair.

I smiled at him, and we said hello.

"Nice dress," he said sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. You can make fun later. Right now we have to leave."

"Right. Mum!" he called. "I'm leaving!" He shut the door and we walked off the porch. I took his hand without awkwardness this time – I had prepared myself in advance – and we disapparated.

The wedding progressed smoothly, and I put on a fake smile as I walked down the aisle. When I reached my place at the front, I looked over at James to see him trying to hold in laughter at the hideousness of it all.

The organ played to a different tune and the congregation stood as Petunia walked down the aisle. It made me a little sad to see her by herself. When little girls dream of their wedding day, they usually picture their dad walking them down the aisle. _Maybe that's why Petunia looks so sad today_, I thought. _It's because Dad isn't here._ This must've been so hard for her, and she wasn't even Daddy's Little Girl. That position was held by me.

I felt my eyes begin to water as I thought back on times that my father and I spent together when I suddenly got the feeling I was being watched. I turned back to look at James, only to find him staring at me with a hard and somber expression on his face. It was almost a pitying look he gave me.

The moment he caught me looking, he turned away, back towards Petunia. But his expression did not change. I wondered what he was thinking briefly before the ceremony began.

I looked over at Vernon as he and Petunia said their vows. He looked very uncomfortable, but that was probably because his tuxedo looked a bit too tight. The thought made me smirk, and my eyes drifted back towards James. He caught my smirk and made a face. I tried unsuccessfully hiding a smile and made myself focus on the couple in front.

I thought towards my own wedding day and how I knew it would be polar opposite from this. I would have only one or two bridesmaids, my best friends, unlike Petunia's seven. The wedding would take place outside, and of course it would be a magical ceremony. The colours wouldn't clash horribly, and the flowers would stand for something significant. At my wedding, everyone would look happy, especially me and my soon-to-be-husband. I smiled at the thought.

Before I knew it, the ceremony was over and we were heading to the reception hall. It was a large hall with surprisingly not-completely-ugly decorations. It was well-lit and many people were roaming about and talking. There was a large dance floor in the middle of the hall and an even larger buffet to the right.

After I took in the grandiose place, I went to find James. He was already seated at a table in front of a place card marked 'Lily's date' – I hadn't told Petunia James' name, but to be fair she hadn't asked.

"Hey," I said, getting his attention. He jumped, making me think I had caught him in the middle of a reverie.

"There you are," he said. "Wanna get in line for the buffet?"

"Sure." We walked over to the line that was already twice as long as it had been when I first stepped into the hall. The line took forever to get through, and by the time we got to the actual food, all of the good stuff was gone. I made a remark about this to James.

"I blame it on all of the profusely rotund people here," he said, looking around. I followed his gaze and huffed. It was true. The majority of the people here were overweight. They were all already seated and eating, too. We were one of the last in the line.

After a good fifteen minutes or so, we finally sat back down with our food. Music had already begun to play, but no one was dancing yet. They were all waiting for Petunia and Vernon to have their first dance, I guessed. Sure enough, as soon as I looked over, they were dancing to one of Petunia's favorite songs. Of course, it was one that I absolutely hated, but that was the thing about Petunia: she had to love everything I hated, and vice versa.

Next up was the father-daughter dance, but of course that couldn't happen. Instead, everyone sat down and there was a 'moment of silence', so to speak. Well, really it was just a 'moment of everyone stop talking, so we can listen to my dad's favorite song'. It was 'Smile' by Nat 'King' Cole. Dad loved Mr Cole. Whenever he wasn't busy, Dad would put his record on and dance me and Petunia around our living room.

I looked over at Petunia as the song played. She was smiling, but there were tear tracks on her face. I smiled as I stood and walked over towards her. I grabbed her in a tight hug, which she returned, reluctantly at first but then sincerely. When the song ended, I went back to my seat. On the way, I hugged my mum who was crying worse than Petunia and I combined.

I hadn't known what Petunia was going to do for Dad at the wedding, but this was perfect.

As the afternoon wore on, I got considerably more bored. There were only a few people dancing, which was probably due to the fact that the DJ was playing horrible music. "You can't really dance to any of it," I told James. "Petunia's taste in music is absolute rubbish."

"Well, if you don't like it, go request something," I heard a voice say from behind me. It was my mother. I turned to look at her.

"Fine," I said.

I got up and walked over to the DJ and requested another song by Nat 'King' Cole. 'Smile' was a beautiful song, and it was Petunia's favorite. But my dad's favorite – and mine – was 'The Christmas Song.' So even though it wasn't Christmas, that's what I requested.

I walked back over to James as the song began to play.

"Would you like to dance?" I asked him.

He smiled. "Of course!"

I grabbed his hand and led him to the dance floor. I put my hand on his shoulder, as he put his on my waist. I took his other hand, and we began to sway.

The dance was perfect. The song itself would have been great. But I was dancing with James Potter. Life doesn't get much better than that, as far as I know. We smiled the whole time, and after a moment I laid my head on his shoulder. It was one of my favorite moments ever.

All too soon, the song was ending. I lifted my head from his shoulder and smiled once more at him. He had the goofiest grin on his face, and I'm sure my expression resembled his a bit.

"Thank you," I told him. His smile widened, and he nodded.

As we were walking back towards our seats, my mum grabbed me by the hand and led me away.

"Lily," she said, turning round to face me, "what's your date's name again?"

"James," I answered her, skeptically. I wondered why she had pulled me off to the side. It wasn't like her to do such things and it made me a bit nervous. And she had a smug expression on her face, which didn't help any.

"He's the one you always used to grumble and complain about?" It sounded more like a statement, and a smile was growing on her face.

"Yes," I reluctantly told her.

"He's very handsome."

Handsome? More like knock-your-socks-off-and-drop-dead-gorgeous! But I wasn't telling her that. "I suppose."

"Would you like to introduce me to him?" she asked.

"Er… I guess," I said in confusion. I didn't know what she was up to, but I had a theory. And, boy, did I hope that theory was wrong.

We walked back over to James and sat down near him. "James," I said. "This is my mum, Christine Evans."

He stuck his hand out to her and greeted her with a charming smile. "Hello, Mrs. Evans. I'm James Potter."

"Hello, James," she answered with a smile. "Please, call me Christine."

They kept up some small talk for a while about the wedding, school, our friends, his parents. When they got to this last subject, Mum seemed to become her normal, caring self instead of her wedding, always-cheerful persona. She told James she'd like to meet his mum sometime, which caught me off guard. But it didn't catch me nearly as off guard as the next topic in conversation.

"So James," my mother began. "Do you have a girlfriend?" I sighed. My theory had been correct. She was going to try to set us up.

"No, ma'am," James answered politely. "But I've got my eyes open."

"Well, that's good. Do you have your sights set on anyone in particular?"

James suddenly became a little awkward, not his usual self. But he tried to keep calm as he said, "Well, there is one girl. But we'll see how well that turns out."

Okay, he was talking about me, right? _Right?_

"Well, I hope it works out and that you're happy," my mum said. I looked at her in surprise. Surely, she wasn't just going to drop it like that?

"Thank you, Mrs. Evans."

"_Christine_," she corrected him. She looked over at me swiftly before speaking again, but I was afraid of the look in her eyes when she did. "You're welcome to come over to our house anytime, James. Heaven knows, it'll be a little lonesome around with it just being me and Lily." Oh, great.

"I'd love to," he said, perking up a bit. He had been looking sullen all afternoon when he thought I wasn't looking. And even when I was, his smile wasn't meeting his eyes like they usually did. But talking to my mother seemed to have made him happier, even if it was just a little. "Yeah, I've got nothing to do until school starts. I could come over next week if you want."

"That'd be great," she answered. "It was might meeting you, James. I'll see you soon."

"Goodbye, Christine," James said as she walked away.

I was still in shock after she left. She had just met this boy and was already inviting him over to our house. What kind of mother was she?

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking 'Lily, this is exactly what you want! Why are you going nuts over this?' Well, you'd be correct. This was exactly what I wanted, but it still made me nervous when she tried to set me up. There was really no telling what came out of my mother's mouth at times.

After the reception James and I went out the back door, so he could apparate. "Thank you for inviting me today, Lily," he said. "I had a lot of fun."

"Me too. Thank you for coming, James." I smiled.

He smiled back. "I guess it's time for me to go. Bye, Lily."

I stepped back to give him some space. "Bye."

He began to go but stopped mid-turn. "Oh, wait!" he exclaimed. "I almost forgot. I need your address, so I can apparate to your house."

"Oh, right!" I said, pulling out my wand. I conjured a Muggle pen and wrote my address on his hand. "There you go."

"Thanks. I'll be there Monday morning! And by morning, I mean around noon or so."

I laughed. "Okay. See you then."

"Bye." He disapparated, and I walked back inside. The place was a mess, and I had been 'volunteered' by my mother to help with clean-up. I groaned and began to clear the tables. As I did, I thought about the upcoming Monday. Okay, I was really excited to see James again, to be honest. But I also wondered why he had seemed so downtrodden today. It was weird because James Potter was never like that. Sure, he had been sad when his dad died – and for good reason – but this was different. It was like he wasn't sad about something that had happened to him but something that had happened to someone else.

It was very unlike the James I used to know to care about someone else's problems, but then I realized this wasn't the James I used to know. This James was different, better. This was the James that I was in love with.

**A/N: So how was it?**


	9. Chapter 9

"Can we do something Muggle?" James asked me with excitement.

I didn't really want to, but how was I supposed to say no to that face?

"You want to?" I said with a growing smile.

He nodded excessively.

"Okay," I said a bit mystified. What were we supposed to do? The only thing I could think of would probably bore him to death, but I suggested it anyway. "Let's watch TV."

I turned on the Telly as he sat down on the couch. There was a good episode of Doctor Who on, so I left it and sat down next to him.

After a while he turned to look at me and said, "This is boring."

…

Seriously!

He really said that! He thought watching TV – and Doctor Who no less – was boring!

"Really?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, and what's with the silly scarf?"

"Hey! Do not insult the scarf! It's cool!"

He put on a pleading expression which obviously meant, "Let's do something _fun_."

"Fine," I gave in. I thought hard about what we could do for a moment.

"Well, Mum needs me to run by the grocers this afternoon. We could go now. That way you would get to ride in the car and see what Muggles buy."

"That sounds like fun!" he exclaimed.

_Yeah, right_, I thought. Like this was going to be fun. I dreaded going shopping for Mum every time she asked me. It was just so boring and time-consuming.

I went into the kitchen to tell Mum where we were going.

"Have fun," she said, tossing me the keys to the car.

James followed me outside, and I had to open his door for him because he "had never been in a car before." Likely story. He probably just wanted me to be the gentlemen, so he could smirk when I walked away. Oh well. I did it for him, either way.

I had to help him put his seatbelt on when we got in too.

I turned on the radio to my favorite station and pulled into the street.

The whole way to the market, James asked me questions. "What does that sign mean? Why did you stop? What are you looking at? How fast can this thing go? Does it fly?"

I swear, he is such a child sometimes.

But the shopping trip flew by with James at my side. Oftentimes I would look over at him and catch him staring at me. Well I don't know if you could call it staring, but when I looked at him, he _did_ look away like he had been staring. Of course this was enough to make me happy. But it happened four times. Four! A girl can't help but wonder…

**A/N: Yes, hi. Hello. I know this was waaaay shorter than my usual, but I couldn't think of anything. I don't really know why you guys are still reading this. I have run out of ideas officially. This story may be coming on permanent hiatus, but I have plans for another so if you'd like to add me to your Author Alerts, that'd be great.**


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